Once you have you have identified your unique selling points (USPs), and what you believe will set you apart from your competition, you then need to consider how to use them in your messaging and put them into practice. This can be done in a number of ways.
Websites
It is important to start by looking at how you are going to use your USPs on the landing page (front page) of your website in key messaging.
To demonstrate exactly how USPs can be used in your key messaging, we are going to look at examples of how nurse practitioner Frances Turner-Traill has used her USPs to promote FTT Skin Clinics.
You can see a prominent USP as soon as you enter the website: a banner highlighting the fact that this practitioner has been featured in Tatler magazine.
The placement of this USP is eye-catching and immediately gives the reader a unique fact about Frances as a practitioner, even before they read anything else. Effectively, it sets the tone for the entire website, and, therefore, the clinic and practitioners who work there.
Scrolling down the page, we find Frances' introduction to her clinic, which contains four individual USPs:
In just the first sentence, Frances addresses one fact about her career, and another fact about the clinic's equipment. In the next paragraph, another reference is made to the treatments, while also addressing the reader personally, followed by a mention of the clinic team and the time spent training with them. All of these factual points within this small introductory section on the website's homepage have already given the reader strong messages about the clinic and practitioners, which will help to build trust between the patient and the clinic.
These USPs are a strong attempt to differentiate the clinic from its competitors.
How to share USPs on social media
Continuing with Frances Turner-Traill's key messaging as an example for how to use USPs, we next take a look at her Facebook page. Facebook allows business users to include a detailed biography, including information on founding date, awards, safety information, products, and public transport information, all of which Frances has taken advantage of. Including the founding date highlights that this clinic is well-established, and has been running for 14 years, whereas the safety information instantly puts potential clients at ease. Finally, the ‘Public Transit’ section highlights that the clinic is close to all central Scotland motorway networks, highlighting convenience for patients.
Twitter is another social media site that potential clients will use to find out about you and your clinic. Frances has used this medium effectively to showcase another of her USPs in her bio section:
‘With clinics in Inverness and Hamilton, Glasgow, FTT Skin Clinics are a multi award winning medical team delivering exceptional results as standard.’
As you can see, the USPs used in each location are different, but the messaging is still consistent. Twitter and Facebook highlight the awards that Frances has won, while the FTT Skin Clinics website refers more specifically to the clinic USPs.
As Instagram is a more visual platform, it features images more than text. However, there is still opportunity to feature your USPs in the bio at the top of the page. On Frances Turner-Traill's Instagram profile, award success is again referred to, as well as the clinic's location and press coverage:
‘Multi award winning Medical Aesthetic & Skin Clinics … Scotland Central & North … Tatler Magazine's ‘Best Artist for Botox & Fillers’ UK Cosmetic Guide.’
Snapchat
Snapchat is an ephemeral social media platform, where posts in the form of photographs are posted for 24 hours, after which they disappear. You can use Snapchat to share pictures or videos of things, such as your clinic (both interior and exterior), the treatments you offer, awards received or nominated for, equipment at your disposal, accreditations, therapists, yourself, and much more. Snapchat also allows you to add text to your images to further engage with viewers and provide more important information about you and your USPs.
Other opportunities to showcase your USPs
Magazine articles
As Journal of Aesthetic Nursing readers will know, a large number of established practitioners now contribute to magazines and journals with their expert knowledge. However, depending on the type of article you are writing, as well as your key information, you may also be able to discuss your USPs.
Front of house and clinic staff team
It is important that the members of staff who answer your phone calls and engage with patients are armed with the USPs you have identified regarding yourself, the treatments and procedures you offer and the practice. Equipping your staff with an in-depth understanding of your USPs will enable them use these when talking to a new enquirer, ensuring a more effective promotion of your services.
In my own business, we consider a client's USPs to be key information, which we always ask about when we start working with their practice. Without a doubt, this information helps us to convert new enquiries to booked appointments at our exceptional levels.
Conclusion
We have now reached the end of this series on USPs. It is hoped that readers now feel better equipped to identify their own USPs and to use this information to review marketing campaigns, websites, social media accounts, and media use. By doing so, you can ensure that your strongest points are displayed proudly and prominently, for all to see.